While TikTok’s hub for all things fitness, more commonly known as GymTok, is great for workout inspiration and ideas, it is susceptible to spreading harmful misinformation as well. It’s important to know how, and when, to listen to GymTok’s advice. This essay discusses the importance of setting personal fitness goals, using TikTok’s algorithm to your advantage and understanding the differences between progress on social media and progress in real life.
Palmer Smith weaves together poetry and prose in her debut book, “The Butterfly Bruises.” This intimate collection of poems and short stories captures the complexities of a “new world—some full of magic, others full of mystery.” Her writing explores everything from the wonder of New York City to the history of Charleston. As she delves into mystical memories and dreams, we join her on a journey of growth, self-discovery, and resilience. Page after page, we admire her metamorphosis: the way she transforms before she spreads her wings to fly.
Read MoreGrowing up we are taught very little about the uniqueness of love. Subconsciously we are taught what we think it should look like from our parents or that it's an intense connection between two people. What does love really look like beyond what we saw as children? Where does love dwell other than within the connection between two people?
Read MoreI have a habit of always remembering the good parts of my past and forgetting most of the bad ones. While this makes for great stories and nostalgic conversations with friends and family, there also comes the false belief that things could always be better than they currently are. In this essay, I talk about what it’s like to look at the past through rose-tinted glasses, and the negatives and positives that come along with this perspective.
Read MoreAs Ann Brashares, the author of my favorite book about friendship — The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants — so simply said, “Love your pals, love yourself.” After spending the better half of my adolescent years in my bedroom due to a global pandemic, merely seeing my friends in person, not through crappy FaceTime calls or Snapchat videos, is enough to make me tear up. These last six months of re-connection with the world and the small group of my best friends that make my world so much brighter have made my days full of joy and full of memories I will remember for a lifetime.
Read MoreIn light of a traumatized generation, Izzy Ster discusses how cynicism has been normalized, as reflected in media such as Fleabag. This essay will also center around her love for the show Fleabag and discusses the lessons it can teach its viewers on maintaining vulnerability.
Read MoreAny Gen-Z who has been on social media in the past 3 years is familiar with the term ¨Hot Cheeto Girl¨. The internet´s biggest laughing stock is actually a vehicle for racism against Hispanic and Black women: just hidden behind the term ¨Hot Cheeto Girl.” The origins of the descriptors of the ¨Hot Cheeto Girl¨ come from the cultural aspects of these two groups. These women have carried their culture with them for decades only for it to have been made a joke.
“What’s a human being gotta be like?” Impostor Syndrome is a psychological condition in which people doubt their own abilities and believe themselves to be unworthy of their accomplishments and successes. It plagues so many every day, making them feel insignificant and as though they are frauds in their own lives. Sidney Gish’s “Impostor Syndrome,” released in 2017 on her album “No Dogs Allowed” explores the psychological phenomenon of the same name as well as her own personal experiences with impostorism.
Read MoreEuphoria has been one of the hottest shows on HBO. Fans are hitting every social media platform to share everything from their favorite characters to their wild conspiracy theories. As a fan of the series, I wanted to share my thoughts about the current season. There is so much that viewers can take away from the show. In this article, I talk about one of the main characters in Euphoria, and how one scene in particular, changed the perspective of “self-love” in the plus-size community.
Despite the light-hearted nature of this annual occasion, Spotify users face pressure about posting their Spotify Wrapped. They must weigh the consequences of being publicly judged for their music taste, resulting in feelings of shame or concern surrounding their listening habits. How will they be perceived for their top artist, most played song, or number one genre? Is playing into this social media performance really worth it?
Read MoreWhy is it that the most wonderful time of the year can sometimes feel like the loneliest one instead? In her article “Home for the Holidays (I Guess),” Izzy Ster talks about what the concept of home means to her and offers solace to those facing bouts of uncertainty, isolation, or any conglomeration of emotions.
Keeping our New Years’ resolutions can be hard and quite the challenge for some of us. However, that’s because we’re doing them wrong. Here is how to set resolutions that aren’t destined to fail and are most likely to be kept by following these tips.
Read MoreIn this essay I reflect on 2021 in terms of what I learned from this past year, shifting the definition of a “successful year” away from accomplishments and towards experience gained.
With conversations of “pretty privilege” happening all around us, the notion that if you’re hot enough you’ll never have to pay for a drink, and the world of influencers and displaying our lives and bodies as art - it really isn’t a secret that beauty is the secret to a level of success. As I have spent time thinking about this concept on nights out, flirting my way into parties after painting my face to perfection every morning - I wonder if this kind of power is truly power at all.
If you’re like any average human being floating in this universe, you enjoy the occasional bout of people watching. In her article, “People Watching,” Izzy Ster defines a new type of intimacy and how she (over)indulges in putting herself in the shoes of complete strangers.
The concept of journaling may seem daunting, but in reality, there are only three simple objections to it: know your purpose, choose a medium and just write. From those three steps, you can journal in whatever capacity you choose.
Read MoreColleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us is a contemporary novel that addresses abusive relationships in a way that is raw and realistic. Hoover demonstrates the complexity of love, helping to explain why leaving abusive relationships is often much harder than it may appear. This novel is truly one of the most powerful stories I’ve ever read, and this is my elevator pitch on why you should read it, too.
I'm called "The Thinker" or "Mini Rodin" in my household because like the statue, I'm always appearing deep in thought. Whether it's what I need to get at the grocery store tomorrow or stressing about the idea of marriage, let's talk about overthinking in the most candid light possible.
From her old videos back in San Francisco to her new editing style, Emma Chamberlain has gripped the world of Gen Z. First becoming popular for her quirky editing style, Emma continues to be relatable to the masses. Here is why we can all find a little piece of comfort in Emma and her channel.
